Using Children’s Books as Starting Point

I have always been a fan of the Children’s Room. Even now, as an adult, I love the magic of the Children’s Room. However, it was not until I was a librarian myself that I realized the Children’s Room is not just for children. There are a great many books in the Children’s Room that lend themselves to a variety of different uses other than the ones to which they have been assigned originally.

For example, a patron seeking information on Colonial America could easily pick up several books on that time period in the Children’s Department and begin a most simplistic foray into the subject at hand. Depending on the level of the book (picture book, easy reader, chapter books, fiction/nonfiction) the reader can learn enough to know where they would like to go next with the topic.

For those new English speakers, the Children’s Room can be a wealth of reads to help them continue on the path of understanding the nuances and of the English language. In addition, the simple views of complex topics can be very helpful to someone struggling to understand the culture in which they find themselves.
For parents and teachers, the Children’s Room often has a special section on behavioral and family issues, teaching aids, and more. Many times, adults fail to look in the Children’s Room for topics figuring that all that is there are picture books.

For researchers, there are a wealth of topics that could benefit from the initial simple view and then working to a more complex tome. In the previous example of Colonial America, someone researching their ancestors in Colonial times might benefit from a simple history of Colonial America in the Children’s Room to begin understanding the time in which their ancestors lived. Nonfiction books, whatever the age they are developed for, often include a “for further reading” section or bibliography that leads the reader to more in-depth resources.

An aspiring writer can find a wealth of information within the walls of the Children’s Room. Often, libraries subscribe to many of the periodicals that writers would like to submit to. It is an easy and inexpensive way to see what types of articles the magazines are running and formulate a pitch based on a thorough review of a year’s worth of magazines.

Do not overlook the Children’s Room of a library. The resources contained within its walls are well worth the time to explore.